Born in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), Grace Bumbry studied at Boston University, Northwestern University and under Lotte Lehmann at the Music Academy of the West, where she discovered and cultivated her love of German Lieder. She made her debut at the Paris Opera in Aida by Verdi. She is regularly sought out by the world’s most prestigious opera houses and festivals: Bayreuth, Covent Garden, La Scala, Staatsoper in Vienna, Metropolitan Opera, among others. Her roles have included Aida, Carmen by Bizet, Tosca and Turndot by Puccini and many others. She had the honour to sing in Les Troyens by Berlioz at the opening of the Opera Bastille in Paris. During her career, she has sung under some of the most prestigious conductors: Herbert Karajan, Abbado, Solti, Osawa, Bernstein and Levine. Her interpretation have earned her numerous awards. In 1990 she received the Puccini Award in Italy for her outstanding singing and portrayal of Tosca. In 1990, she was also named an Officer des Arts et Lettres and a Commandeur des Arts et Lettres in 1996, by the French Republic. She was also designated “Special Advisor” to UNESCO in 1997.
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